"Forget it, I already like someone else!" Jiang Kai said irritably. "Since you're so sincere, I'll give you all a trial period."
"But let me warn you—if you play any tricks again, don't blame me for being rude!"
After saying that, Jiang Kai turned and left the conference hall.
Watching him go, He Shishi finally let out a long sigh of relief.
That guy was finally willing to trust them once.
Then He Shishi narrowed her eyes slightly, looking like she had seen right through everything, and muttered,
"As expected, he secretly likes Xia Hua and Dong Xue. Old Hu and the others said Jiang Kai doesn't actually have anyone he likes, that he just made up an excuse. Just now, he got so angry—he must've been hit right on the mark, that's why he reacted that way!"
"It's just… I wonder whether he secretly likes Xia Hua or Dong Xue. Or maybe… he likes both…"
"Jiang Kai is actually a pretty good person. Xia Hua and Dong Xue don't dislike him either. Should I talk to Old Hu and the others, see if we can create some chances for them?"
......
In the new territory, Jiang Kai found Hu Yan and Ruan Yu.
He Shishi had arranged new living quarters for them—a few farm cottages built in the backyard.
Although the houses were much smaller than those grand halls, they actually felt more like real homes.
"Captain Kai, why are you back so early?" Hu Yan asked quickly when he saw Jiang Kai.
"Yeah, didn't you say you'd be training for three months?" Ruan Yu asked curiously.
Looking at Old Hu, Jiang Kai was fuming.
"Old Hu, did you say I like having secret crushes?"
Hu Yan thought for a moment and instantly understood what had happened. He quickly explained,
"I—I didn't say that! I just said you've secretly liked ten girls!"
Jiang Kai nearly spat blood.
He'd rather be accused of liking secret crushes in general—now the guy even gave it a number!
"Wait, didn't Zhuzi tell you I only secretly liked nine?"
"There's also Nuannuan! Nine plus one makes ten!" Hu Yan answered nimbly.
"Tsk…"
Ruan Yu thought about it, then said seriously, "Maybe not just ten. I heard Zhuzi say you also secretly liked Su Nuannuan's sister. That makes eleven!"
Jiang Kai was completely speechless.
In their team, he was clearly the most normal one, yet in these two idiots' mouths, he'd become the most perverted!
"Fine, fine, I won't argue with you two. Anyway—where are Lao Zhao and Ouyang?"
"They're both out leading upgrade runs. He Shishi filled up their schedules. We wanted to go too, but I don't have any real attack methods, and Ruan Ghost definitely can't lead a team on his own. He's not close with the others—I was afraid he'd end up killing his own teammates," Hu Yan said.
Jiang Kai nodded.
"Fair point."
"Then pack up, you two. We're heading out."
"Heading where?"
"Where else… The Fallen Mine Zone." Jiang Kai recalled the name. "It's east of Subcity Fourteen. Getting expelled actually has one good side—we just caught the big mining surge happening there."
"By the way, what level are you two now?"
"I'm Tier 4, Level 11," said Hu Yan.
"I'm Tier 4, Level 10," said Ruan Yu.
Jiang Kai thought for a moment.
"The monsters there are mostly War Gods. Even among Tier 4, they're top-tier wanderers. Some are weird profession users. Anyway, let's avoid unnecessary fights."
"Huh? All War Gods? Captain, can we even compete with that?" Ruan Yu asked weakly.
Jiang Kai shot him a look. "You should drink more—it'd help you stop asking stupid questions like that."
Time was short, so Jiang Kai decided they'd rest for one day and set out the next morning.
——————————
The next day, the City of Gods Guild was as busy as ever. Jiang Kai glanced at the bustling He Shishi, Chunlan, and Qiulan, then asked,
"Where are Xia Hua and Dong Xue?"
He Shishi looked at him with a teasing smile.
"Knew it—you really do care most about those two."
Jiang Kai was dumbfounded.
They weren't here—of course he'd ask about them!
Then He Shishi gave Hu Yan a subtle look.
Hu Yan patted Jiang Kai on the shoulder.
"Cough, cough… Captain Kai, can't we bring along Xia Hua and Dong Xue?"
"Why would I bring them?"
"Well, to help you solve your… cough, cough—not that…"
Hu Yan's eyes darted around. After a short hesitation, he said,
"They, uh, want to earn some guild points to exchange for class change materials. They've already hit max Tier 4 and are just missing a few materials, so they want to hurry up and advance."
As he said that, Hu Yan secretly pinched Ruan Yu.
Ruan Yu caught on late, then said, "Oh right, yeah—earn guild points!"
Hu Yan rolled his eyes at him and continued,
"If they can both reach Transcendent class, we'll have four War Gods in the guild! One, our strength improves, and it'll be easier for them to train new recruits later. Two, the guild's expanding—we need some War Gods for prestige!"
Jiang Kai nodded.
Old Hu's words did make sense.
Besides, the Fallen Mine Zone wasn't somewhere he'd go alone. Bringing two more people wouldn't hurt.
"Alright then. Where are they?"
Before long, Xia Hua and Dong Xue hurried over.
"Captain Kai!" Dong Xue called out happily.
Xia Hua looked less enthusiastic, but under Sister Shishi's watchful eyes, she still forced out,
"Cough… Captain Kai."
Jiang Kai gave the two a once-over. Today they both looked great—completely different from before, their temperaments refined and elegant.
Speaking of which, He Shishi and the Four Seasons girls were all truly top-tier beauties. He even began to suspect that He Shishi might have a certain… hobby, surrounding herself with such gorgeous companions.
With everyone gathered, Jiang Kai said,
"Alright then, let's move."
The group set out toward District Fourteen.
"Sigh, I still don't know where my brother went. But if he's with him, it's fine." Jiang Kai muttered.
"Captain, still no news from Big Brother?"
"Nope. He hasn't logged off, and no one's seen him. But Brother Jiang's been with him the whole time." Jiang Kai looked thoughtful.
Hu Yan nodded.
"Captain, I checked your brother's fortune—he's not in any danger lately."
He had wondered whether the big brother had fallen into Xuanwu's hands, but if that were true, Xuanwu would've come for him already. So far, neither Xuanwu nor the Huang family had made a move.
Jiang Kai knew his brother well.
Given his brother's personality, it wouldn't be strange if he was just focusing entirely on leveling up. Once he set his mind on something, he never gave up, no matter how hard it got.
He had some Destiny-class change materials he'd meant to give to his brother, but for now, he'd just have to hold onto them.
"Oh, right, Old Hu—when we rest later, help me check my marriage fate," Jiang Kai suddenly said.
"I…" Hu Yan really wanted to admit that ever since teaming up with Dong Li, his accuracy with love fortunes had dropped drastically.
But when he saw the hopeful look in Jiang Kai's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Alright, fine—but I can't promise it'll be accurate…"
Behind them, Xia Hua and Dong Xue whispered quietly to each other.
"Xia Hua, he's hiding pretty well. Didn't even try to talk to us."
"Hmph, that's what makes it a secret crush, right? If he had the guts, would he have so many of them? And look—he's even asking Old Hu to check his love fortune. He's totally thinking about it right now… Dong Xue, do you like him?"
Dong Xue shook her head.
"Even though we cleared things up and realized we wronged him, I barely know him. How could I just fall for him like that?"
"Same here. Sister Shishi's really something—she insists we go with him, says it'll 'build some feelings.' What if we do end up close, huh? As if. You can't force this kind of thing. Honestly, I still kind of dislike him."
Dong Xue nodded.
"Let's just help him find some ores. We'll take that as making it up to him."
——————————
On July 10th, an enormous number of top-tier powerhouses appeared in District Fourteen!
Even "Star-tier" and "Peerless-tier" wanderers weren't considered the strongest there.
The semiannual mining surge in the Fallen Mine Zone was about to begin, and the military allowed them to freely enter.
The ores produced there—both in type and quality—were extraordinarily rare.
Though the Fallen Mine Zone was filled with danger, those with good luck could return fully loaded, even exchange their haul directly for Sky-tier or Saint-tier class change materials!
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